February 28, 2009
Press Release
The Zumbro Valley Bassmasters, of Rochester, MN, will host its 11th annual, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital charity fishing tournament and fundraising banquet this spring. The fundraising banquet will take place March 28th at the Rochester International Event Center in Rochester, MN and the tournament will be held May 2nd and 3rd in Wabasha, MN. Proceeds from both events are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a worldwide leader in research and treatment of catastrophic childhood diseases.
These events have collected over $650,000 for St Jude’s over the past ten years with last year’s events bringing in over $127,000. Three years ago the tournament was renamed to honor the life and memory of Rochester’s own Dick Hiley, an original founder of these events and a tireless advocate for St. Jude’s. Three years ago, the Zumbro Valley Bassmasters added the pre-tournament fundraising banquet as an additional fundraising avenue which will continue for the foreseeable future.
The tournament is open to all interested teams. Teams compete not only for the heaviest two day total weight of bass, but also for the highest total dollar amount of donations raised for St. Jude’s. Top prize for the fishing contest is $7500 and the teams raising the most money for St. Jude’s are rewarded through their tournament starting position. Teams from all over Minnesota, as well as from Wisconsin and Iowa, are expected to participate again this year
The fundraising banquet is targeted at all outdoor enthusiasts and spouses and is open to the public. Valuable door prizes and raffle items for hunting and fishing enthusiasts as well as Home & Garden prizes will be featured at this year’s event. Al’s Specialty Marine, City Looks Salon, City Café, Apollo Wine and Spirits, Magnum Sports, and Snap-on Tools, all of Rochester along with Minnesota based Rapala, Minn Kota, All-Terrain Tackle, Stamina Tackle, and Humminbird Electronics are just a few of the annual supporters for these events. Dozens of other Rochester and Minnesota based businesses have added their support this year and will provide valuable prizes for these events. Over 400 people attended last year’s fundraising banquet which generated over $30,000 for St. Jude’s in one night!
Rochester resident John Stears, Zumbro Valley Bassmasters member and Planning Committee member, has participated in these events at just about every level since they were founded ten years ago. Stears has been active in planning and organizing these events for the past 7 years and has a pretty solid track record of collecting his share of the prize money for the fishing contest as well. “All of the anglers at these events are competitors by nature, but that competition really takes a backseat here”, says Stears. “The first time our anglers meet a local family at the event who has benefited from St. Jude’s, or the first time they see the video clips of St. Jude patients’ stories, you see just how fast a room full of fishermen turn soft and start wiping the corners of their eyes. It’s just really profound to see how brave these kids are and how much hope St. Jude’s gives them.”
For information about these events, please contact Dick Dorman at 507-867-4079, John Stears at 651-564-0603 or Eric Ronningen at 507-272-0316. Please visit our website http://www.stjudefishing.com/
